The Lost Generation: 8 Reasons Why America's Youth Are Falling Behind

In the shadow of our faltering economy, America's students must cope with a host of issues: college affordability, mounting debt, unemployment. Attending college is no longer a meal ticket to a better life -- even the most educated are having trouble finding work. The fate of younger America -- mercilessly, but perhaps accurately, dubbed "Generation Debt" -- is uncomfortably uncertain, and the roots of the problem are planted in the mess that is this country's higher education system.

Arianna Huffington's new book, "Third World America," discusses the importance of finding new solutions to our country's education crisis. Touching on the following themes from our slideshow, she emphasizes how vital it is that we recognize the reality of this lost generation, and figure out how to build our education plan anew.

Below, we highlight the 8 most pressing issues affecting America's youth -- add your own in the comments section.

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Increased Tuition At Public Universities

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Higher tuition costs makes it harder for students to afford college -- even in their own state. As a result, more students are forced to take out loans, contributing to dramatic increase in student loan debt.

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Higher tuition costs makes it harder for students to afford college -- even in their own state. As a result, more students are forced to take out loans, contributing to dramatic increase in student loan debt.

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Comments

[OmeraWarya Mohamed]

07:29 PM on 09/08/2010

The American Dream cannot be lost to greedy corporations and special interests.

[DrSnuggles]

02:35 PM on 08/26/2010

Something needs to be done about the for-profit unviersities. They are seriously watering down our education system by devaluing our degrees and increasing student debt (of which the majority is backed by the government).

[saintjule]

01:19 PM on 08/25/2010

It's impossible to quarrel with any of the points made above. All cogent and easily defensible. I would really stress the availability, or lack of, entry level jobs. We have been camouflaging the fact that we have been exporting the countries sweat equity to cheap labor centers for decades and now we are faced with the dilemma of not having any industries. We keep hearing the flawed mantra that small businesses are the engine of growth. No they aren't, they generally serve at the pleasure of large producing industries. Restaurants feed factory workers. We do not produce anything. Wind solar etc, produced elsewhere. Flawed economic theory that we could afford to export the manufacture of clothing shoes etc. and still be a thriving country. That is Ayn Rand and Alan Greenspan as well as Geithner and Summers. Good for Wall Street, but a killer for the working men and women and they are tapped out. The globalists will survive, no matter how many laborers they grind under their expensive shoes. We have just dedicated a shrine of hallowed ground to them at ground zero.

[garystartswithg]

04:29 PM on 08/13/2010

What a mess. Thank you Greenspan.

[pooquimeyer]

12:19 AM on 08/13/2010

Now this my friends is sad and depressing. Our govt isn't working and hasn't been, so it's time to do something.

Think our biggest problem is the Fed...they control everything and via many of their shareholders helped create the crisis we are in. Problem is, the Fed is a global, for profit organization and not just a US entity...it's a for profit, private corporation that helps sets the rules for most of what has gotten us to where we are...

[hapuchi]

10:43 AM on 08/11/2010

All college education (including medicine) must be subsidized. Foreign medical graduates start practicing in USA with zero $$ debt vs more than $100,000 debt incurred by a US doctor. Poor countries like India subsidizes Medical and engineering colleges where students perhaps have little or no debt after 4 or more years of college.

[JSDKoeln]

04:12 AM on 08/13/2010

The number is actually over 150K.

Being an Expat in Germany-- my observation is that Germany got it right in providing virtually free education to it's young. The students can be a bit slow in finishing as there is no financial situation that requires immediate completion, but at least they don't start their new careers in major debt.

I have always wondered why the US deems it more necessary to fund senseless wars as opposed to educating its young.

[garystartswithg]

04:36 PM on 08/13/2010

So many of our young and educated are expats -- something people in this country aren't acknowledging yet is we are in a major sink on employing educated people (other than MBAs).

[garystartswithg]

04:41 PM on 08/13/2010

America is the land of the MBAs from a "for profit" school. We threw arts and sciences under the bus in the name of corporate interest -- we are going to pay for it and its not going to be an easy lesson. I was in college and lost my grant money because Bush Sr decided education was education -- trade schools were allowed to compete with universites for grant money. I think the only way to get a grant now is to be homeless.

[JJovana]

09:50 AM on 08/11/2010

Why is America's youth falling behind? Because its polticians are rolling eyes at teachers and whatnot. Being smart is overrated in this country. Ask Elena and Prez Obama.

[Dela1]

06:58 AM on 08/11/2010

Maybe because stories like these are done with photographs instead of words?

[ladyvader]

04:26 AM on 08/11/2010

We can start to turn things around by getting rid of "No Child Left Behind" nonsense. We have to stop teaching our children a standardize test and actually teach them to think with logic and reason.

We can thank St. Ronnie Reagan, the Patron Saint of Stupidity for part of our educational problems when he started to de-fund education and telling school districts that ketchup is a veggie.

[AJ Frost]

04:58 AM on 08/11/2010

Can't agree with you more. NCLB, in my opinion, stifled teacher innovation by stunting the methods by which they could teach concepts to students. Life is not a standardized test, everyone has unique talents and it takes great teachers to bring out those talents.

[NewUnderTheSun]

10:07 AM on 08/12/2010

Ketchup's a fruit, its made with tomatoes. DUH!

[Cindy Ortiz]

03:32 AM on 08/11/2010

Wow this really lifts my spirits! (Sarcasm)
Now I know I'm part of the "lost generation"...

I'm just going to foucus on my studies...and prove everyone wrong.

[Cindy Ortiz]

03:34 AM on 08/11/2010

I mean *focus*
-my bad everyone.

[merlinspinoza]

01:00 AM on 08/11/2010

Arriana needs to include in her book the experience of introducing transcendental meditation (TM) into quiet time periods in schools ; David Lynch foundation has funded instruction of > 100 000 students and teachers with actually miraculous results scientfically verified where study money is available

recently Trinity college in Cambridge i beleive [ about 3500 students ] took up the TM program among teachers all of its counseling staff and its number 3 ranked squash team
with very remarkable results much more so than the 3 years they'd spent doing mindfulness
which is largely a waste of time

as is the endless stream of initiatives for improvement which are the education equivalent of theology

[SilentSolidarity]

12:58 AM on 08/11/2010

What a misleading headline! UGH. It sounds like it was their fault that the older generations screwed up this country when it is very clear that they are by far the most progressive generation. http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/03/snapshot030810.html

[medialv]

12:22 AM on 08/11/2010

Ahhhh.... more of the "benefits & innovation" of capitalism.

[KristinNoelle]

12:14 AM on 08/11/2010

Luckily in my state we have laws regarding interns that do not allow employers to skirt minimum wage laws by calling people interns. To qualify as an internship, the job must entail a substantial amount of education and/or job training. Going on coffee runs and answering phones doesn't count.

[Morena]

12:21 AM on 08/11/2010

OMG - Does the phrase "We make it happen" mean anything to you?

[sloreader]

11:38 PM on 08/10/2010

Signed, Captain Obvious.

[Morena]

12:22 AM on 08/11/2010

Yep, all this is rehashed material that's prettty common knowledge by now.